Establishment of school-based health center for minority children

The Foundation's program, New Jersey Health Initiatives, was designed to support projects in New Jersey that develop new approaches to resolving the state's health care needs, focusing on the Foundation's goal areas.The purpose of this project is the creation of a school-based health center to overcome barriers of poverty, language, and transportation to provide primary care to at-risk urban children at the Washington Elementary School. The staff of the Plainfield Health Center intends to serve a culturally diverse community at risk for high incidences of morbidity and mortality such as uncontrolled asthma and injuries related to neighborhood crime, violence, and drug activity. The children are predominantly Black and Hispanic and over 90 percent reside in households at or below 200 percent of the poverty level.